Arts & Entertainment
Front Row Productions Announces 2022 Fellow
Annual Producing Fellowship Is Designed to Increase Diversity on Broadway
THE FRONT ROW PRODUCTIONS FELLOWSHIP
IN ASSOCIATION WITH COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF THE ARTS
ANNOUNCES THE SELECTION OF LAMAR RICHARDSON AS THE 2022 FRONT ROW PRODUCTIONS FELLOW.
Annual Producing Fellowship Is Designed to Increase Diversity on Broadway
The fellow will be supported by Fellowship mentors Stephen Byrd, Alia Jones-Harvey, Steven Chaikelson, Willette Klausner, Eva Price, and Jordan Roth
and Fellowship advisors Jeffrey Richards, Ira Pittelman, Jackie Alexander, Saheem Ali, Maria Manuela Goyanes, Amy Jacobs, Jonathan McCrory, Anthony McDonald, Nick Scandalios, Stephen Sosnowski, Thomas Distler, Tamara Tunie and LaTanya Richardson Jackson
Stephen Byrd & Alia Jones-Harvey’s Front Row Productions Fellowship, in association with Columbia University School of the Arts, is pleased to announce the selection of Lamar Richardson as the 2022 Front Row Productions Fellow.
“We are thrilled to announce Lamar as 2022 Front Row Productions Fellow at Columbia University”. Byrd and Jones-Harvey said, “The enthusiasm, innovative approaches to theatre, and acumen of the applicants this year made our selection process a challenge. Along with our Mentors, Advisors, and Steven Chaikelson, we look forward to working with Lamar on his journey to bring his project to the commercial theatre and expand upon his very intention to be a catalyst for change. .”
Front Row Productions was established by award-winning producers Stephen Byrd and Alia Jones-Harvey to bring major works to Broadway and the West End featuring diverse casts, creative teams and management. In furtherance of that mission, the producing team founded the Front Row Productions Fellowship last year to support the development of gifted theatrical producers of color and increase the diversity of work produced on Broadway. Applicants who have demonstrated potential, achievement and/or leadership in and support for the African-American theatre community are given preference during the selection process.
Stephen Byrd and Alia Jones-Harvey with partner Steven Chaikelson, Head of the MFA Theatre Management & Producing Concentration at Columbia have created a pipeline for emerging producers of color to bring their work to Broadway. The program is designed for an individual with producing and/or theatre management experience who is looking to take their existing project to the next level and aspires to a career as a lead commercial producer. The goal of the program is to foster entrepreneurial skills and to help the Fellow create their own business opportunities. The Fellowship will provide the tools to succeed in the competitive Broadway environment; access to a New York City and regional network of theatre professionals; and expert guidance in the creative and business development of their fellowship project.
The Front Row Productions Fellow is supported by Fellowship Mentors Stephen Byrd, Alia Jones-Harvey, Jordan Roth (President, Jujamcyn Theaters), Eva Price (Producer), Willette Klausner (Producer) and Steven Chaikelson, along with an advisory council of industry leaders who serve as additional resources for the fellows, sharing their expertise, perspective, and complementing the existing mentorship and academic curriculum. The Advisory Council includes Jackie Alexander (Artistic Director, North Carolina Black Repertory Theatre), Saheem Ali (Associate Artistic Director, The Public Theater), Thomas Distler (Attorney), Maria Manuela Goyanes (Artistic Director, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company), Amy Jacobs (General Manager, Bespoke Theatricals), Jonathan McCrory (Artistic Director, National Black Theatre), Anthony McDonald (Executive Director, Shubert Theatre, New Haven), Ira Pittelman (Producer), Jeffrey Richards (Producer), LaTanya Richardson Jackson (Actor/Director), Nick Scandalios (Executive Vice President, Nederlander Organization), Stephen Sosnowski (Senior Vice President, SpotCo), and Tamara Tunie (Actor/Director/Producer).
Lamar Richardson is an actor and producer born in New Brunswick, New Jersey and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina. He received his B.A. from Columbia University in the City of New York in 2015. Shortly after, Lamar made his regional theater debut as 'Sylvester' in Phylicia Rashad's award-winning production of August Wilson's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles in 2016. He is making his Broadway debut as a Co-Producer on the upcoming 2022-2023 revival of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman starring Wendell Pierce, Sharon D. Clarke, and Andre de Shields at the Hudson Theatre. He is also currently producing Afrika Brown’s new play in development, The Fight. Lamar co-founded Ivy Lion Productions, which is an independent production company that centers underrepresented voices and champions empowering stories. His additional acting credits include: Jordan Peele’s 'Weird City’, Richard Lawson’s ‘Black Terror,’ James Sweeney’s 'Straight Up' on Netflix, and NBC’s 'New Amsterdam.'
During his time participating in the year-long Front Row Productions Fellowship, Richardson will develop his fellowship project; receive a $10,000 stipend and a $20,000 budget to cover development costs; receive one-on-one support from the mentors and advisors; have access to the Columbia University resources including the library system and courses offered through the MFA concentration in Theatre Management & Producing; and have the opportunity to participate in the Theatre Management & Producing Concentration’s Producer Exchange Program with Stage One in the UK.
Generous support for the Front Row Productions Fellowship includes The Barbara Stiefel Foundation, Comcast NBCU Foundation, No Guarantees, Jujamcyn Theaters, The Nederlander Organization, The Shubert Organization, Ira Pittelman, Rene Smith, Sharon Karmazin, Jeffrey Richards, Scott Wilcox, Thomas R. Distler, Jennifer Melin Miller, Dr. Ofem I. Ajah, Kenneth Schur, Merrie L. Davis, Jack W. Batman, Roland Archer, Judicial Friends Association, Avery Kotler, Philip M. Getter and Runi Mehta.
The 2022 Front Row Productions Fellowship year runs from September 2022 through August 2023. Prospective applicants can visit https://FrontRowFellowship.com for more information about the program and to join the mailing list. The application deadline for the 2023 Fellowship will be announced in the spring of 2023.
